Running From Your Shadows

Chapter 1

"You are nothing but a suit of armor and a gun!" He looked passed his commanding officer's shoulder to see Felix shaking his head at him, then loading his rifle with a fresh clip.

"You're not a soldier, you are a monster!" He saw Wash charging at him with a fist winding up for a punch at the purge temple platform.

"He is afraid of you." He sees the alien AI staring down at him, his eyes judging and condescending.

"Hey! Hey, Sam!" Briefly shaking his head, looking around as to figure out where he was, then looking at his hand to see he was holding a can of tomatoes. He looked again to his left to see an elderly man at the register looking his way, concern evident in his eyes.

"I'm sorry, sir." He watched the man sigh, brushing his straggling strands of white hair away from his face, as he came around the counter, took the can from him, and placed it on the shelf.

"For the last time, Samuel. Call me Yuang. I'm not your CO, it's okay." He placed a shoulder on his employee, "Are you sure you are okay? You've been spacing out more and more since you arrived." Sam sighed, closing his eyes. He then turned and stared at his boss in the eyes calmly.

"I'm fine, sir- uh Yuang. I just... I just keep hearing people from my past that I thought were... ghosts long gone." He turned his attention to the can of pickled onions, and stocked them with the rest of the vegetables.

"Are you sure if you are okay? I can pay for any therapy if you are interested. I won't judge. I lost my first born during the Great War. Didn't you say you fought?" Sam couldn't stop himself from slamming the can of tomatoes on the shelf, fighting to suppress a snarl.

"Yes, I did." After a few deep breaths, he continued stocking, and his manager returned to the other side of the counter.

"I'm sorry. It's not my place to reopen your wounds." Sam thought reflected about how he is getting used to being called by his actual name again, rather than his mercenary alias. He became Locus during the war, and after the war, and blood and orders were his fuel and meaning in life. It wasn't until he dropped Felix he realized there was nothing left of him, and thus retreated to Earth to apply for a distant settlement. He didn't expect they would put him on Reach's moon, Challenger. He could see Felix's face, watching his every move, and hear his sarcastic remarks about how he would've been a vegetable himself without his help.

"Go away, Felix. You are dead."

---

Sam put away the broom after he finished sweeping the floor near where the produce would normally be displayed. He turned in his apron, and followed Yuang out the door of Mitzi's General. After flipping the sign, the older man locked the door. He smiled at Sam.

"You're working hard, Sam, and I can see that. You're doing a good job. I know you may be struggling, and I am always here if you need a person." Sam nodded his head curtly, then smirked.

"Thank you, Mitzi."

"Have a good night. I shall see you at work tomorrow. Be careful of the kids, as they are usually rowdy on a Friday night." They shook hands before turning their separate ways. Sam decided to briefly glance behind him, and watched as his boss began walking with a woman he assumed was his wife.

Sam walked down Main Street to reach the Single Apartment District. He chose this rather than live in the family district for the peace and quiet, but also he wasn't sure how the children would react to a man like him. He was bulging with strength like a super soldier, but also covered in scars which showed what war did to him. He quietly sighed, looking at all the locals living a normal civilian life. Sam couldn't help but wonder what they have to worry about. No stray snipers? No need to be on the run? No referring to each other as codenames?

"Civilian life is trying, but I have nowhere to go and nothing else to do." Before he could look straight again, Sam realized he was on the ground with a small child looking at him surprised. Once the boy heard other children yelling about, he quickly got up and ran up the street to be with his friends. Sam wondered if he hit his head as it sounded off briefly, or he must've heard someone running up to him.

"Get up, Locus! Get up!"

"I'm so terribly sorry!" Before Sam's reflexes kicked in, he saw a hand displayed. It was open and inviting. He grabs it, then sits up to a stand. He followed the hand up the arm, to the shoulder, then to the head to see it was a woman. Sam wasn't sure how or if he could begin to explain it, but time froze around them, and all he could see were her golden brown eyes. Sam took her in, as she seemed to be an average woman with a fit build, and her brown hair pulled back in a bun. What didn't help his situation was how his heart leapt to his throat, but what reassured him of the situation was how she froze too.

"Hello." He spoke, his throat left dry.

"Hello." She responded in kind. "I do apologize for their behavior. This is unacceptable." Sam couldn't stop himself from blushing, shaking his head.

"It's alright. They are children, after all." He watched as she curled the left side of her plush lips in a smirk of amusement. Sam was wondering if he was seeing things, but he thought he saw her cheeks turn a slight pink despite the cover of nightfall.

"My name is--" Sam was cut off by the woman looking passed him at the children, and briefly panics.

"I'm sorry, I must not let them run off. I shall see you around, sir." He missed the warmth of her hand, and watched her run after the children she was looking after. Sam felt the curious gazes of some of the locals as he continued staring after the woman. Sam shook his head in an attempt to bring himself back to the present as he continued walking towards his settler's pod.